


a quiet heartbeat

by artisttsitra03



Series: my heartbeat [2]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Anger, Blood and Gore, F/F, a lot of humming, odd romance, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 14:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4394843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artisttsitra03/pseuds/artisttsitra03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gritting her teeth together, Asuka gradually turns back around. Sighing, she lowers her arms and pulls up her thin shorts up to her waist. She feels her eyebrows crease once the gears in her head begins to work. “God, Mari, you even watched me sleep? You just took the award for being the creep of the year.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	a quiet heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> the time of this takes place after the second evangelion movie, & I wrote this in a bit of a hurry unfortunately with a small amount of editing

            _Well, I don’t want to you know, burst your bubble Princess, but we’re partners in crime, and I think we’d go insane without each other, wouldn’t you agree?_

            Asuka has an amused expression on her face, her eyes completely glued to Mari. Walking out of the bathroom, Mari quietly hums to herself, her hair neatly tied into twin tails on her back. She walks over to the bed where Asuka is, slowly sitting down beside her.

            Though it immediately hits Asuka once she realizes what’s happening. Mari’s now laying on her side, her body squirming into a position – her head laying directly in Asuka’s lap. She can feel the warmth from Mari’s body, the warmth that settles down her edges. Widening her eyes, Asuka bites down on her lip. “Can you not?” She hisses, dragging a hand down her face.

            “Can I not what?” Mari softly asks, turning her head slightly. They both barely meet each other’s eyes.

            Groaning, Asuka smacks her forehead out of frustration. “Why?” It’s all she can say at this point.

            Mari shifts, her hands gently resting on Asuka’s knees – she feels her heart race. Asuka can feel the tingle rush through her body just from the tips of her fingers. “I think it’s a comfortable position,” she quietly says, smiling.

            Asuka groans again, leaning backwards into the bed. “There’s plenty of space in the bed, surely you can find a spot to lay.”

            “What if I don’t want to move?” Her voice is so quiet, so gentle in the air.

            “Then I’ll kick your ass off this bed,” Asuka growls, irritation boiling by the moment.

            Mari softly twirls a circle with the tip of her finger on Asuka’s knee, the tender touch immediately sending shivers up Asuka’s spine. She holds her breath, hearing her heart pound in her ears. She bites her lip when she hears Mari’s quiet laugh.

            Asuka raises her head to give her a glare but is immediately met by Mari’s eyes, eyes that can drown anything, eyes that are looking up at Asuka with such depth. She can feel her breaths quicken by the look of Mari’s smile, Asuka’s heart slowly stops in her chest. “Like I said Princess, it’s a comfortable position.”

            _Tch._

            Asuka rolls her eyes as she feels Mari shift into another position. Once done, Mari’s now on her stomach, her head turned to face Asuka. Asuka holds her breath as she realizes one of Mari’s hands is on her knee, and the other laying on her stomach. Letting out a quick breath, she grits her teeth. “Oh my god, can you seriously not?”

            “Now _this_ is a more comfortable position.” Mari says, shrugging her shoulders. Asuka glares at her, but that only makes her let out a soft laugh. Asuka’s heart drops.

            Sighing heavily, she doesn’t protest anymore, giving the victory to Mari. Once settled, there’s no use in arguing with her anymore, Asuka learned that years ago. Closing her eyes in defeat, Asuka desperately tries to ease her head, her body, her heart. Cutting the silence, she asks, “Why are you even in my room?”

            She takes a couple of moments to reply, the wait making Asuka anxious. “Hmm, it’s a long walk – such a lonely walk, from the deck to my room, which I find a bit annoying. It’s so unfair, you know, that our rooms are on opposite sides of the ship, ugh.” They’re meaningless and stupid words. “Besides, it’s nice in here.”

            She raises her head off the bed and looks around her room. Her eyebrows crease when she sees the sight of clothes, water bottles, and bed sheets thrown everywhere. Asuka narrows her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. “You think it’s nice in here? Saying that makes you sound a bit insane, I’d say.”

            “Hm? It’s definitely a whole lot cleaner than mine, I can say that much. Fine, if you’re so against me being in here, want me to leave then?” Mari quickly says.

            _Tch._

            She can see Mari’s smile even if she can’t see her face – she can feel it. Turning her head, Asuka lets out a soft sigh. “I don’t mind,” she quietly says.

            Asuka hears Mari laugh again, the sound of it too sweet for her ears. “Oh, I didn’t hear you, what’d you say?” She can feel Mari lean towards her, the warmth coming with her body.

           She doesn’t say anything. All she does is turns her head to the side, feeling her hair drape over her face. She hopes it can hide her expression, but she already knows Mar’s seen her. Asuka can feel the hint of a smirk in the back of Mari’s throat. “After all of these long years together, was I finally able to hit that impenetrable wall of yours?”

           Asuka’s quick to change the subject – quick on her tongue – quick with her emotions. “You’d think after five years of you nagging on my ass I’d get used to it, but truth is – I hate you even more.” She lowers her head back onto the bed, the heat in her cheeks makes her bite down.

            Mari softly laughs, the faint warmth of her short breaths quickly sends shivers up Asuka’s spine. She clenches her jaw. “Wait, five years together of my nagging?” Mari perks her head up, eyes staring at Asuka. “Hmm, I don’t think you’re in the position to say anything about my nagging Princess, considering the fact that I’ve already gotten use to your anger.” Asuka grunts, her face still turned.

           She feels Mari lay her chin softly on her thigh, the heat of her breath touching Asuka’s bare skin. Her lips are so close, Asuka has bite her lip. “Though, you know, and I say this from the bottom of my heart Princess, that your anger is what makes you interesting, it’s what draws me to you.”

            Asuka raises her head, eyes narrowing at Mari whose eyes are beaming with pure amusement. She has to bite on her tongue to keep a laugh from coming out of her throat. But, when she doesn’t laugh, Mari lets out a gentle laugh that echoes through Asuka’s ears. “Oh shut up, you sound pathetic, I don’t like it.” Asuka hisses, hiding her emotions. But she knows very well that she can never hide anything when it comes to Mari – especially Mari – she feels so vulnerable around her. Asuka lays her head back down, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She needs to look at something else, something different, something other than Mari. “And don’t even expect me to say anything back.”

            Mari laughs again, laying her head back down, the light weight of her head resting on Asuka’s thigh. “It’s okay, I didn’t expect you to, that’s how I like you.” She says, turning her body to lay on her back. Mari’s looking up at the ceiling, her hands now resting on her own chest. Asuka clenches her teeth, feeling the cold immediately return back to her body.

            _Tch._

            “Stop being such an idiot.” Asuka snaps, the words falling off of her tongue with ease.

            The corners of Mari’s mouth widens. “Oh? When did I upgrade, I always thought I was a fool?”

            “You upgraded to an idiot the very moment you stepped into my hospital room. And don’t think that you’re not a fool, you’re the biggest goddamn fool, and you’re also a goddamn idiot.”

            Asuka can feel the warmth return when Mari’s arm brushes against her leg. “You know Princess, everything that belongs in this world is foolish. Any living thing in this world is a fool, it’s what makes everything up these days, and nothing can escape that fate.”

            Mari’s words are spoken in a quiet tone, in a tone she rarely uses. She leaves the stupid words hanging in the air, and Asuka doesn’t know how to react to that. She can definitely feel the atmosphere change between the two of them. She doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t want to at this point.

            Though, even if Mari’s a goddamn idiot, she has her moments where she’s smart enough to know when she’s hit a barrier. Without further thinking, Mari begins to hum, a soft hum that rings inside Asuka’s ears – it’s a new melody. Asuka feels her body relax as she lets out a heavy sigh. Even if it’s in the late afternoon, she could actually fall asleep any second listening to the sound of Mari’s humming.

            Quiet minutes pass by between the two of them, Mari’s humming is the only sound Asuka can hear. But it immediately stops when she lets out a cough. “Hey Princess,” she quietly says.

            Groaning, Asuka lays a hand over her eyes leaving the silence to be her answer.

            It takes a moment before she says anything else. “Hmhm, never mind, it’s nothing.”

            Asuka feels her lips frown. Taking her hand of her eyes, Asuka lowers her arm to where Mari’s laying. Once feeling a slight bit of contact on Mari’s shoulder, Asuka hits her, feeling Mari’s body wince. “No, continue, I’m listening. What were you going to say?” The words quickly slip out of Asuka’s mouth before she even realizes.

            Asuka slowly opens her eyes and blinks them when she feels the bed move. Turning her head, she finds Mari’s laying on her stomach beside her, her signature glasses falling off the tip of her nose. Asuka bites down on her tongue to keep her smile from clawing onto her lips. “Nothing nothing,” Mari says lightly, digging her face into her arms. When Asuka grunts from the back of her throat, Mari raises her head, just barely though. “I just realized that it’s only the evening, and I’m already this tired,” she mumbles, her eyes slowly closing. “Aw man, this is bad timing,” she says through a yawn.

            The way Mari’s tired is one hell of a sight, a view that Asuka has to turn her head from. It takes her a couple of moments to calm herself down before she turns back. “Hey, wait no, you can’t take your nap right now. We have training in less than an hour,” Asuka hisses, quickly slapping Mari on the head. “And you’re not going to ditch me for the third time again because if you do, I swear that I’m going to beat the living crap out of you.”

            “Just let me sleep for twenty minutes Princess, then you can order me around as you wish.” Mari mutters. She doesn’t open her eyes, allowing Asuka the chance to simply look at her. She softens her expression as the view dawns on her. Mari changed her frames years ago, her previous ones were broken the second Asuka and her started to par together. They still have the same pale red color to them, the only thing different is that Mari picked rectangular frames rather than keep her circular ones.

            “Yeah, no, last time I did that, I fell asleep with you and we both overslept. Don’t even get me started on when we were woken up to a bucket of water dumped on us. I’m not doing that again,” Asuka replies, slapping her on the arm. “Now you’re not going to be sleeping, so wake up.”

            Flinching, Mari opens her eyes, raising her head. “So mean.” She pushes her glasses back onto her nose, her tired eyes meeting Asuka’s eyes. Asuka freezes for a moment, her breath caught in her throat. “But I don’t even want to go, I’ll get cranky once I hear the woman’s goddamn annoying voice.”

            “Uh-huh, well, try being the person who actually deals with your crankiness. Once you become cranky, you start singing non-stop, it’s so goddamn infuriating. Besides, the moment you hear her voice, you cut off your two way link with her.” Asuka says, narrowing her eyes.

           Mari shows a weak smile – a tired smile. “You’re one to talk Princess, try being the one who deals with _your_ anger,” she softly says, a light laugh from her mouth. “I can’t help it, all I want to hear is just one thing while I’m piloting. Anything else, it’ll hurt my head.” She turns and plumps her entire face into the bed.

           Her ears twitch when she hears Mari say something, though she can’t exactly make it out, since her face is still stuffed into the bed. Asuka exhales a heavy breath through her nose. “You idiot, your face is faced towards the bed. Say that again, I couldn’t make out a single word you just said.” She says, slapping her on the head again.

            Turning her head, Mari sighs. “I wish they’d go ahead and do modifications on the EVA’s already, just sitting in those seats makes my butt numb within thirty minutes. Aw man, I don’t want to go, this bed is way comfier than sitting in an EVA.”

            “Yeah, well, get over it, nothing in life is fair.” Asuka quietly says. She bites her lip, letting out a quiet sigh. Mari’s rarely this tired, rarely this lifeless about anything.

            “Hmm, I expected you to say something along those lines Princess,” Mari softly says, her eyes opening.

            Asuka feels her eyebrows crease. She narrows her eyes at Mari who has a sly grin on her face, and Asuka feels her eyes widen for a split second. “No,” Asuka quickly says. Mari quietly laughs, her grin growing wider. “I know that face, and I know exactly what you’re thinking, and my answer is, no you cannot.”

            Mari slowly shuffles towards her, inching their bodies closer by the passing second. “Aw, why do you have to be so mean?” Asuka clenches her jaw, surprised once again by the warm heat Mari brings with her body.

            Groaning, Asuka quickly digs her face into her arms, hiding her face. She can never hide from Mari though. “Because, oh my god, the last time you were in here, I couldn’t even sleep. You kept me up all night with your goddamn annoying singing Mari, it was so irritating.”

            There’s blood dancing through Asuka’s mouth when she bites down on her tongue too hard. Mari’s body is now literally right beside Asuka, their bodies are touching each other’s. “Then I won’t sing tonight. Now, wake me up in ten,” she quietly whispers, her voice is so delicate. Asuka raises her head from beneath her arms finding Mari’s face inches from hers. Her eyes are closed, her mouth is barely open, and within seconds, Mari’s breathing is even.

            She looks like a kid, hell she still _is_ a kid. They both may be nineteen years old, but their bodies haven’t changed a bit, and the more anyone knew Mari, the more they knew that she never took anything serious, rarely.

             Asuka doesn’t say anything, all she does is stare in awe at her partner. Her face has the look of an innocent person, but that isn’t true. Asuka surely knows that no one is innocent, and of all people – not even Mari.

-

            “I hate you,” Asuka spits off her tongue. Tugging at her plug suit, she feels the plastic feel fall down her body, now resting at the bottom of her legs. Taking a step out of it, she shivers as she feels a cold breeze fly down her back, her naked body exposed.

            Her back is turned to face Mari as they both change, her anger level reaching its highest point at the moment. She honestly doesn’t know why she started a conversation with Mari. Talking to her only makes her angrier, but hearing her sweet voice – her soft gentle kid voice makes Asuka’s heart at ease. She bites down on her tongue, frustrated with herself with all of these conflicting thoughts.

            “Oh come on, you’ve told me that at least twenty times in the past ten minutes, why don’t you go ahead and give it a break?” Mari whines. Asuka hears a _thud_ when she closes her locker. “Also, do you think my boobs have gotten smaller? I think my boobs have gotten smaller, I’m not even joking.”

            “I’m not looking at your boobs, you idiot.” Asuka hisses, her eyes widening. She feels her cheeks blushing, but she hides it from Mari by keeping her eyes locked forward, looking directly at her locker in front of her.

            “Aw, please? Why are you being so mean right now?”

            _Tch._

            “Because I really fucking hate you,” she replies, staring down at her red plug suit with empty eyes – with drained eyes. Blinking, she slams her door shut. Releasing a heavy breath through her nose, Asuka quickly pulls a shirt over her head, wearing nothing underneath. Closing her eyes, she feels her body relax as the warmth runs through her muscles. Shrugging her shoulders, she pulls her hair out of the shirt. Asuka hears Mari’s soft humming and she glances over her shoulder at her partner.

            “I didn’t know what to do.” Mari protests, holding her hands up.

“Oh what bullshit is that, of course you knew what to do! You should have woken me up, let me get the living shit out of your first, then we would have been on our way to training.” Asuka yells, glaring at her partner.

           She narrows her eyes when Mari simply shrugs her shoulders. “You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to wake up you. Besides, you don’t like it when I try to wake you up, you would start the days off with a grumpy mood, so I just watched you sleep. What’s so bad about that?” Mari says in defense, slowly sliding her skirt up her legs.

            Gritting her teeth together, Asuka gradually turns back around. Sighing, she lowers her arms and pulls up her thin shorts up to her waist. She feels her eyebrows crease once the gears in her head begins to work. “God, Mari, you even watched me sleep? You just took the award for being the creep of the year.”

            Mari softly laughs. “I can’t help it if you let me be a creep, and don’t blame me for letting you sleep in more, you need the rest Princess.” Asuka turns around to give her a glare, but like always, she’s immediately met by Mari’s wide grin.

            Asuka groans, dragging a hand down her face.

            “Do you ever close your mouth?”

            “I would, if you ever did something to me.” Asuka narrows her eyes at her, but Mari just grins again. “But you know, I have to watch over the Princess. I can’t have the Royal Highness be weak on me, I always have to support her.” She says, her eyes continuing to beam at Asuka. A moment later and Mari tears their eyes a part, raising a hand to run through her twin tails.

            Asuka clenches her jaw, desperately trying to hold back the laugh in her throat. “Come on, don’t be an idiot.” She quietly says, brushing past Mari’s shoulders. Looking down at the floor, Asuka doesn’t want to see the victory inside Mari’s eyes, all she does is walk towards the door.

            In the corner of her eye, she sees a small smile on Mari’s lips. The door slides open as they walk through it, Mari calmly strolling behind Asuka, her humming echoing throughout the hallway, like whispers in the night.

            They both walk down the dark corridor, the only sound – Mari’s humming. Asuka glances over her shoulder, watching her head sway from side to side, and her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes are closed, a sly smile on her face.

            Clearing her throat, Asuka looks forward realizing that her legs are beginning to feel heavy. Her thoughts are becoming jumbled together, she can’t think straight. She feels a shiver slide up her back, her body becoming cold. She can feel it coming, the nightmares lurking inside her head – they’re ready to come out. Gritting her teeth, she lets out a quiet sigh. Mari was right about their conversation in the room – about her needing the rest. The past few nights have been rough for Asuka, nights where she would wake up screaming, her cries clawing in her throat. They would be nights filled with endless nightmares, never disappearing, but on some nights, they did with the help of Mari staying with her.

            “Is your no still a no from earlier today?” Mari asks, cutting through Asuka’s thoughts.

            Asuka shakes her head, blinking several times. “Hm – what’d you say?”

            She sighs, taking a several steps to walk alongside Asuka. “Are they that bad to keep distracting you?” She leans her head forward, their eyes meeting each other’s. Asuka doesn’t say anything, she can’t. “Asuka,” she says quietly.

            Asuka’s eyes narrow at the sound of her name. Something about Mari saying her actual name sends a sensation down her body – a sensation that makes Asuka warm. “Yeah – wait what, no, uh – yeah no. I’m fine, there’s nothing wrong.” She quickly says, the words stuttering out of her mouth. She grits her teeth once her mouth shuts.

            Mari laughs, the gentle sound echoes throughout the corridor. “From that answer, I think that’s just a better reason for me to stay with you again,” she says.

            She doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t want to, not while she can feel the nightmares lingering inside her head. But once they reach Asuka’s room, they both stand outside her door, in silence.

            “I can go back to my room if you want me to Princess,” Mari suggests, her voice is barely shaky, and that makes Asuka clench her hands together.

            She doesn’t say anything, leaving Mari’s words to hang in the air, the tension rising. Raising her hand to place on the handle, Asuka watches as the confirmation code turns green, opening the door. She takes a step into her room and walks towards the bed, but she doesn’t hear footsteps behind her. “Are you coming in?” Asuka quietly says over her shoulder, barely turning her head.

            “Hm, maybe I’ll just go back to my room.” Mari jokes, a soft smile on her face.

           Asuka feels her heart clench inside her heavy chest. Without saying anything, she walks over to the bathroom to untie her hair, feeling relieved when the tension on her head disappears. Looking at herself in the mirror, Asuka sees the old one – the old Asuka, the one where she always believed in doing things herself, doing things alone. Sighing, she tears her eyes away from the mirror and slides her shorts down her legs, stepping out of them.

           She hears Mari’s feet quickly shuffling into the room, the door closing behind her. Asuka peeks her head out from the edge of the bathroom and watches as she throws herself into the bed, her feet tangling with the sheets.

           Feeling her eyebrows crease, Asuka walks out of the bathroom, just in time to see Mari’s feet point upwards, her hands sliding to pull her skirt and socks off. Asuka becomes amused with her partner as she watches her undress herself, tossing her clothes to the floor without thought. Mari starts to hum to herself, gently placing her glasses on the bed table.

           Walking over to the wall, Asuka flips the switch, the lights turning off. The darkness hits her eyes, her vision taking seconds before adjusting, though Mari’s humming guides her way towards the bed, Asuka feels her heartbeat quickening by the simple sound of it.

           Slipping into the sheets, Asuka immediately feels the coldness rush through her body, the cool calming down her edges. She rests her head into a pillow, her breathing low. Asuka can feel Mari’s feet moving around under the sheets, gently hitting Asuka’s. The humming comes to a sudden stop when a small laugh escapes the back of Mari’s throat.

           Then, it’s silent.

           Quiet minutes passed, nothing was happening between the two of them. Asuka was still wide awake, her eyes wouldn’t shut and her body wouldn’t calm down. She knew for a fact that Mari wasn’t asleep because she was brushing her toes against Asuka’s leg. “I’m beat,” she quietly says.

           Groaning, Asuka quickly kicks her leg.

           She feels the bed shift as Mari scoots her body closer, Asuka’s breathing becoming uneven. They’re faces are so close – inches apart, and she can feel Mari’s breath – her hot breath. Asuka bites her lip, biting harder when she hears her heart beating inside her ears. Mari doesn’t say anything, doesn’t make any sort of sound, doesn’t make an idiotic comment, and it’s setting Asuka on edge by each passing second.

           There’s a soft hum that barely escapes Mari’s mouth and it immediately makes Asuka’s heart beat faster. Listening to any kind of Mari’s humming always soothes her down, it’s as if it was an antidote for Asuka’s body – her mind.

           The sound’s quiet in the room, but it’s a familiar hum – Asuka quickly realizes the sound of it. It’s her favorite melody of Mari’s, but she doesn’t know and Asuka will never tell her. Though, there’s a deep feeling inside her that Mari already knows it’s her favorite.

           Bringing her arms into her chest, Asuka begins to twirl her thumbs in circles. She shouldn’t be this anxious – her heart shouldn’t be beating this fast. Any other night with Mari sleeping with her had just been fine, so why is she so fidgety tonight? Releasing a slow breath, Asuka closes her eyes, desperately trying to calm her body down.

           One minute passes.

           Mari continues the soft melody by repeating the last chorus.

           Asuka lets out a low breath when she feels her muscles relax and her body softening.

           Two minutes passes.

           Mari’s still humming, though it’s slowly growing quieter and quieter by the second. She feels Mari’s legs stretch towards hers, their feet now tangling with each other. Asuka can feel her thoughts disappearing and sleep drowning her.

           Three minutes passes.

           Asuka can’t hear if Mari’s humming stopped or not, and it’s not that she doesn’t want to, it’s because she can’t – she’s asleep.

            _There’s red everywhere, red blood, red buildings, and red earth. That’s all I can see for miles, I can’t see anything else. The greenery on this planet died a long time ago, it all died when the Third Impact happened, when idiot Shinji screwed everything up to have it his way. Ugh, I really hate the fact that I missed the Third Impact, but it all started with stupid Shinji. He gave me those injuries, made me go into quarantine, made me screw up everything, he did all of it. Then, to make things even worse, he actually was able to kill the entire planet, and he did it all by himself. I let out a grunt, I feel anger seething throughout my body._

            _I start to swing my legs back and forth to help distract me, they’re hanging on the edge of a cliff. Hills and cliffs were easily made when the Tenth Angel showed up and destroyed everything. Releasing a heavy breath, I look up at the sky, immediately squinting my eyes, almost closing them when the sun blinds me._

            _Even if we’re out here late in the evening, my body feels like it’s being scorched by the sun._

            _“Princess, you shouldn’t sit so close to the edge. This is a dangerous area, we don’t know if that rock underneath you is held into the earth or not.” Mari hollers, a wide grin on her face. God, she’s such an absolute idiot._

            _Looking down, I observe the rock I’m sitting on. Feeling my eyebrows, crease, I realize that it’s about three-fourths buried into the red earth, nothing to worry about. Shrugging my shoulders, I ignore Mari’s remark._

            _I slowly turn my head to look to my right only to find the idiot hanging on the edge of a tree branch, one hand barely gripping onto it, and the other holding over her eyes as she takes in the view. Half of her body is leaning off the cliff, the only leverage she has is the small branch on the tree. What an idiot. She’s in a more dangerous situation than me, she shouldn’t be saying anything._

            _“Speak for yourself, look at the situation you’re in,” I quietly say, bringing a knee up. Resting my chin on it, I feel a small gust of wind flow through my hair. Feeling nature at its finest is a good feeling actually, it’s something I don’t get to experience very often. I’m always cooped up inside a ship as we travel, stuck in it as if I’m a bird in a cage._

            _Mari laughs, the sound of it echoes down the cliff. I bite down on my lip to keep a smile from clawing onto my lips as the sound disappears in the air, but never in my ears._

            _“Ah, so beautiful Princess! You have to admit it, it’s one hell of a view! We rarely get to come out here and enjoy the view.” She screams from the top of her lungs. Her voice echoes down the cliff, and I can hear the sound roar for seconds before it disappears. I watch with little amusement as she swings from side to side, her hands carefully grasping the tree. The corner of my mouth twitches when I turn my head away._

            _It’s quiet, it’s quiet for several minutes._

            _My breathing calms down when I close my eyes, my chin still resting on my knee. It’s been months since I’ve been able to enjoy my time outside actually, it’s been months since I’ve been able to sit outside with Mari – to have time to ourselves._

            _I hear feet shuffling and the next thing I know is a strong sensation of warmth sitting beside me. Opening my eyes, I peek in the corner eyes to find Mari quietly sitting beside me. Her hands are gripping the edge of the rock, her legs swinging back and forth. She’s looking out into the sky, her thoughts being consumed by the beauty. I see her mouth twitch, forming into a soft smile. The silence between the two of us doesn’t last for long until Mari begins to hum, a soft sound escaping the back of her throat._

            _I feel my body relax – my heart thumping steadily. Closing my eyes again I let my ears listen to the hum, let it be devoured by the sound of her humming._

            _After a while, I hear her stop, but it doesn’t stop in my ears. I actually didn’t realize how long she was humming until she nudged at my arm. I raise my head off of my chin, opening my eyes, squinting as fainted sunlight hits them. “Look,” she quietly says, raising her hand, her finger pointing. I blink several times, feeling my eyes adjust to the setting. Sighing, I reluctantly turn my head and look into the distance._

            _The sun’s setting below the horizon. I grit my teeth together, forcing down a thick swallow when the view hits me. “You can see the same thing I’m seeing, can’t you?” Mari asks, her eyes glued to the horizon. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. “There’s the image – the image of blood. It’s everywhere, and you can see it in plain sight. It’s right there in front of our eyes, mocking up, it’s sickening to even look at. You can see the pool of blood when it was spilt, the drips of it when it’s draining from the Angel, the large amount of it as it pours everywhere. No one can escape the sight of blood, not in this world. You can’t get rid of the color red, you’d go insane if you tried.”_

            _I don’t say anything else, I just keep my eyes looking at the horizon. It’s a sunset, a dark bloody sunset. Red overcomes the orange and yellow in the sky, it overcomes everything on this planet. Red fills the skies, it fills the earth, and it fills up our bodies._

            _We both stare at the sun, watching it as it slowly dives behind the horizon, the warmth of it disappearing. Minutes pass and our eyes are still glued to it. We watch as the red completely devours the entire sky as it sets farther into the west, yellow and orange disappearing. The redness turns into blackness, darkness demolishing the color in the sky._

            _“Can you two hear me?”_

            _Mari and I both jump, our heads immediately glancing over our shoulders. My shoulders slouch back down while I let out a quiet groan. Misato’s standing with her hands propped up on her hips, a glare on her face._

            _“I called for you guys like eight times, what’s wrong with you two?”_

            _I hear Mari groan which makes me grunt, I needed something to keep back a laugh. It’s always amusing to watch her annoyed when it we’re dealing with Misato. I don’t really understand, but Mari could never actually stand her voice._

            _“Careful Misato, frowning and glaring too much will make more winkles on your face,” Mari mutters under her breath, though loud enough for me to hear._

            _I definitely had to bite my tongue to keep a laugh from coming out, but I couldn’t help my mouth twitching into a small smile. Gathering to my feet, I inhaled a heavy breath, stretching my arms and legs as exhaling._

            _“Alright, we’re coming. Get up Four-Eyes, I want to get into bed already,” I say, rubbing my eyes._

            _Misato turns her back up on us and walks ahead. To think she had actually walked two minutes out from the ships to get us is a bit surprising to me. I take a few steps forward, looking over my shoulder to see Mari gathering to her feet._

            _“Ah man, it feels nice out here. Do you think she’ll angry at us if we stay out here for the night?” Mari asks, her arms stretching over her head._

            _“Don’t be an idiot, of course she wouldn’t let us.” I say. “Why do you want to sleep out here?”_

            _Sighing, she opens her hands out and reaches towards the sky – reaches for the stars. I stop in my tracks, watching her. “They’re so beautiful, wouldn’t you say so Princess?” Mari says, her head tilting up. She’s looking at the stars, at the small bright objects in the sky, so far away. “They shine so brightly to be seen because they’re so far away, they try so hard.”_

            _That’s why I pity them, I thought. No matter how hard they try, they can only shine so bright. They want to be noticed, want to be seen. I bite down on my lip, releasing a sharp breath. I pity stars because I see myself in them, I pity myself. Now that’s a bit sad actually._

            _I veer my eyes back to the ground where Mari’ standing, she’s still looking up at the stars. She’s standing on the edge of the rock, her toes hanging on the tip of it. It could happen, I realize. It could happen in an instant, in a second. I clench my hands, holding myself back from pulling Mari away from the edge. “Please don’t,” I say under my breath. I feel my heart dropping in my chest, my shoulders immediately feel heavy._

            _I blink once, Mari’s still standing there. Her arms are now at her side, but she’s still looking up at them._

            _I blink once more, she’s not standing there._

           Asuka’s body immediately jerks, her eyes are slow to open. All she sees is darkness, but her eyes are quick to adjust. She can see the outline of Mari’s body right in front of her – directly in front of her. Mari’s back is faced towards her, their bodies are inches apart. Asuka has her head tilt into Mari’s neck, she’s close enough to even smell her. Asuka creases her eyebrows, questioning if Mari scooted closer or if Asuka scooter towards her. But, she immediately ignores the thought when she feels her heartbeat pick up the pace, but at the same time, Mari’s warmth soothes her down. Sighing, Asuka rubs her eyes and reaches out in front of her, quick to touch Mari’s back.

           Listening carefully, she hears Mari’s breath stutter, her breathing becomes uneven. “I know you’re awake,” Asuka quietly says, scooting her body a few inches away in the other direction. She regrets the decision when she already misses the warmth from Mari’s body.

           “I woke up when you just kicked me Princess,” Mari says, her voice sounding so tired, it makes Asuka’s heart beat faster. She can see the outline of Mari’s head turn as she glances over her shoulder. “How bad was it this time?”

           “Nothing, shut up and go back to sleep,” Asuka hisses, but her partner responded with a gentle laugh – her laugh sounds so far away.

           Mari turns her head back around, not saying anything. Moments pass by and silence falls between the two of them. Then, all of a sudden, Asuka feels the bed move when Mari shuffles her body closer to Asuka. “Remember what I told you Princess? Trust me, I don’t plan on breaking that promise anytime soon,” Mari softly says. Biting her lip, Asuka doesn’t say anything, doesn’t do anything – but she takes a hold of Mari’s shirt, her grip tightening when she curls herself into Mari’s back. Taking a deep breath, Asuka closes her eyes, trying to fall asleep again.

**Author's Note:**

> this took longer than I expected it to actually, aw man


End file.
